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MEMORIAL 



John Augustus Smull 



EDITED BY 

WILLIAM H. EGLE, M. D., M. A. 



HARRISBURG, PA. 

lANE S. HART, PRINTER AND BINDER. 
1881. 



.363 




TO 

NA' I L L I A M PAULI S M U L L , 

THIS 
MEMOIR OF THE LIFE 

OP A 

FAITHFUL BROTHER 
IS INSCRIBED. 




JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 




HE biography of the representative men of the 
State deserve to be properly written, and yet it 
is a task more difficult in the performance than 
the majority of readers imagine. More especially is 
this true of those who for years have been xDrominent 
in public aifairs — whose official acts are familiar to the 
people at large, and whose whole life has been devoted 
to their best interests. The deeds of such become as 
household words — and the biographer in the plain re- 
cital of them, ceases to interest. In the unwritten his- 
tory of every man, however, there are some traits of 
character which are uppermost ; and the more promi- 
nent they are, the deeper their influence over that life 
and its workings. As men live in deeds, not years, so 
is it the province of the historian to preserve the records 
of those who have passed from the stage of action, for 
they are the heirlooms of the State. 

To the youth of Pennsylvania— to the early man- 
hood of the gi-and old Commonwealth, in whom the 
hopes of the future lie— the lives of citizens whose 
pathways were crowned with strict performance of 



BIOOIiAPIIY. 



every duty, with uprightness, industry, and that en- 
ergy of soul and endeavor which emblazoned their 
names — should be written for a bright ensami^le, en- 
couragement for the doubting, a healthful influence for 
the heedless. The future citizen should be made famil- 
iar with the workings of every noble life, who in woi'd, 
thought, and deed has proved himself a man. 

John Augustus Smull, the second son of John 
Smull and Harriet Pauli, was born at Harrisburg, Penn- 
sylvania, Sejjtember 1, 1832. Conceniing the imme- 
diate ancestors of Mr. Smull, we have the following 
infornuition. George, Count Von Schmull, (as the name 
was originally written,) was born July 22, 1764, at the 
ancient country seat of the family on an island near 
Yodesberg on the Rhine. He came to America about 
the close of the war of the Revolution, fleeing from re- 
ligious persecution in the Old World. His estate, bear- 
ing the euphonious title of Von Plosh, was confiscated 
by the government, converted into a convent, for which 
purjiose it was used until quite recently. Von Schmull 
settled near Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he mar- 
ried Susanna Le Van, daughter of a Huguenot family. * 

•iJuonoE S.MUi.L, senior, b. July 22, MM, near Yodesberg on the Rhine ; 
cl. October, o, 1815, at Germantown, and there buried ; m. June 22, 1792, 
ScsANNA Le Van, daughter of Abraham and Catharine Le Van, b. March 
12, 1770 ; d. August 18, 1826. They had issue as follo\ra : 

i. Catharine, b. March 13, 1793. 

a. Peter, b. October 11, 1704. 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 



His second son, John, born at Germantown, May 27, 
1798, married, in 1827, Harriet Pauli, daughter of 
Rev. Philip Reinhold Pauli and Anna Elizabeth Musch, 
of Reading. The family of Pauli is an ancient one. 
The first of the name of whom we have any record is 
that of Hans Pauli who was burgess of Schwerin about 
the middle of the sixteenth century. His son, Simon 
Pauli, (2,) was professor of theology and superintendent 
at Rostock, in Mecklenburg, in 1570, while in succes- 
sive generations we have Henry Pauli, (3, ) of Rostock, 
physician and first public teacher of medicine at Ros- 
tock ; Simon Pauli, (4,) a noted physician of Rostock, 
who married Elizabeth Fabricius, daughter of the emi- 
nent Jacob Fabricius, physician of Rostock ; Oliger 
Pauli, (5,) a noted man in his day ; Philii:) Pauli, (6,) 
physician to Christian VII. of Denmark ; Rev. Ernst 
Ludwig Pauli, (7,) an eminent divine of Magdeburg, 
Prussia, and a graduate of the University of Halle ; 
Rev. Philip Reinhold Pauli, (8,) a native of Magdeburg, 

Hi. Maria, b. August 18, 1796 ; d. Sept. 20, 1813. 

iv. John, b. May 27, 1798 ; m. Harriet Pauli ; d. August 20, 1841. 

V. Charles, b. February 3, 1800. 

vi. Susanna, b. May 21, 1802. 

vii. Lydia, b. December 3, 1803 ; d. s. p. 

via. Sarah, b. September 19, 1805; d. s. p. 

ix. Thomas, b. August 20, 1806. 

X. George, b. September 11, 1808. 

xi. Joanna, b. December 5, 1810. 



BIOORAPHY. 



Prussia, who eiuigmted to America in 17!SH, and died 
at Reading in 1815.* 

Such was the ancestry of Joiix A. Saiull. His 
parents came to HaiTisburg shortly after their marriage, 
and tliei'e all their children were born. 

The incipient public schools of the town, although 
devoid of the so-called high polish of the present day, 
made better scholars, for what was learned was thor- 
ough. To these he was sent very early, and under the 
instruction of several gentlemen who were excellent 
teachers, he progi-essed rapidly in his education. He 
was studious, thoughtful, and obedient, and among his 

♦Rev. Philip RejnholdPauli, b. June 22, 1742, at Magdeburg, Prus- 
sia; d. Jannarj' 27, 1815, at Reading, Pennsylvania. He married at 
Easton, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1784, Anna ELiZAnKTH MuscH, 
daughter of John and Catharine Musoh, of Easton, where she was born 
Ootobor 4, 1762; d. November 12, 1839, at Reading. They liad issue 

». Catharine, b. Dec. 26, 1784 ; m. Rev. Frederick William Vander- 

sloot; d. January 30, 1851. 
it. Lewis, b. August 10, 1786; d. s. p. 
tit. Philip, b. August 31, 1788; d. June 15, 1836. 
iv. Jtev. William, b. October 20, 1790 ; m. Anna Maria Witman ; d. 

May 20, 1854. 
V. John, b. March 9, 1792; d. December 22, 1813. 
vi. fl"ar»-icJ, b. September 14, 1794 ; m. John .Smull; d. January 1, 

1873. 
vii. Lewis Jacohy, b. October 14, 1796; m. Sarah Schoenfelter ; d. 

January 3, 1862. 
via. Caroline Louisa, b. September 14, 1798; d. s. p. 
ix. Anna Elizabeth, b. July 23, 1800 ; d. s. p. 
X, Bev. Charles Augustus, b. April 12, 1804 m. Mary L. Davies. 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 



school-mates he was an active participant in all boyish 
sports. Many remember him as such, for the friend- 
ships then formed continued through riper years — 
steadfast and unchanging to life's close. 

Tlie death of John's father in 1841, left his widowed 
mother dependent upon lier own exertions and those of 
her eldest son Le Van, who was then in his fourteenth 
year. An acquaintance with a number of members of 
the Legislature, emboldened her to secure a position 
for him, which would, in some measure, aid in lier main- 
tenance. Le Van was appointed page to the Speaker, 
the first one known to the legislative body. A bright, 
obliging, and amiable lad, he magnified the office, and 
his mother was proud of her strength and her support. 

In the spring of 1848, John was tendered the appoint- 
ment of a midshipman in the United States Navy, and 
would have accepted the position, but for the opposi- 
sition of his mother. Shortly after, he concluded to 
learn the art of printing, and apprenticed himself at 
the Telegraph, then under the editorial supervision of 
Theo. Fenn, Esq., a noted journalist at tliat day. We 
well recollect our new comrade's e«-^r^ into the printing- 
office. The same characteristics of his after life were 
foreshadowed in the boy ; active, industrious, and ener- 
getic, with a remarkable equanimity during all the trials 
and vexations of that first winter's experience in an es- 
tablishment which somehow was wanting in proper ar- 
rangements and regulation, atapeinod, too, wlien hand- 



10 DIOORAPHY. 



power presses sluggishly performed the iiicre;isecl de- 
mand for legislative itrinting. One little episode of that 
not very pleasant chapter in John's career is vividly 
brought to mind. As the youngest apprentice, to him fell 
the lot of caiTying the weekly newspaper to the then bor- 
ough subscribers, and of course all the emoluments of 
the position were his. It was two days before the New 
Year — there was no address prepared, and the only 
poet of the town was ill. In the difficulty, John fell 
ujion one of his comrades, he who pens this reminis- 
cence, and requested him to write the address. There 
was some hesitancy, for his fellow-apprentice had never 
indulged in aught, save a few album verses and paro- 
dies on lovers' ditties ; but as it is only a step from the 
bounds of the sublime to the ridiculous, so the doggerel 
verses previously indulged in were guides to the heroic 
stanzas of a New Year's address, and the closing hours 
of the old year were occupied in printing it. How de- 
lighted the printer boy — and how much more elated 
when about noon of the following day, he exhibited 
the proceeds of his industry — offering a full share to 
his comrade, to whom he was so much indebted. It 
was generously refused, although the act through all 
his life, was kindly and fraternally remembered. It 
was the first extra money he had really earned and 
although thus gained, it was faithfully devoted to some 
boyish comforts for his widowed mother. 
At the widow's home everything was bright. Her 



JOHt^ AUGUSTUS SMULL. 11 



sons were obedient, industrious, and brave boys. Their 
love for their mother enabled them to surmount all diffi- 
culties. The shadow was lifted from the hearth-side ; 
and yet ere the sunshine had fairly gleamed down upon 
it, the death-gloom came again over all ; the main prop 
of the household was taken away. On the 14th day of 
April, 1849, Le Van Smull died, regretted by many 
whose friendship he had formed, and deeply lamented 
by the stricken mother. As the grave closed over the 
remains of her eldest born, with prayerful hope and reli- 
ance upon the Divine promise of the Master that he 
would be a father to the fatherless and the widow's com- 
fort, she buoyed up her heart. Her faith was in the 
God of her Refuge. 

With an energy few mothers display, she secured the 
vacant position of page for her next son, Joliu, then in 
his seventeenth year. The place was filled acceptably, 
and from that time onward, until her dying day, that 
son became the support of that mother and her family. 

The next session of the Assembly, and several suc- 
cessive ones, the labors of the faithful page became 
more onerous. He was polite, attentive, and intelligent. 
His was not alone the duty to carry the bills read in 
place to the Speaker, but his intuitive mind caused him 
to be looked up to with more deference as his useful- 
ness increased. Many, yes the vast majority of the rep- 
resentatives twenty-five years ago were farmers, un- 
familiar with technical phrases and legal terms, and to 



12 BIOGRAPHY. 

sucli John A. SiiiuU became a valuable aid in the fram- 
ing of bills. Tlieie were few legislators who did not 
call him to their assistance in later years, and we know- 
whereof we speak tliat in numerous instances where his 
suggestions were unheeded enacted local laws became 
inoperative through their impei-fect wording. Manj^ of 
the leisure hours of the session were occupied in draft- 
ing bills, and although his labor was frequentl}^ w-ell 
remunerated, a deserving or charitable enactment found 
liini a ready and faithful friend, "without tlie expecta- 
tion of fee or hope of reward," save the consciousness 
of doing right. 

As the years rolled on, his ajjpreciative services be- 
came more highly valued, and the positit)n of bill clerk 
was given to him, while subsequently he was promoted 
to leading clerk. No official, it may be truly said, ever 
won the enduring confidence and great regard which 
John A. SmuU secured, and he prized every mark of 
esteem manifested. However arduous the duty, it was 
faithfully performed. One secret of his popularity was 
the fact that he remembered every face and could call 
by name any one he had ever met, and then, too, when 
favors were asked, he was ever ready to grant them. 
No matter what intervened, every letter received was 
promptly answered, and every inquiry satisfactorily re- 
plied to. He was, indeed, the same at all times to all 
men. 

In 18G1 tlie office of Resident Clerk was created. 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. IS 

The duties of this ixisition were multiform, not only 
during the session of the Legislature, but in the recess. 
With an energy and industry most remarkable, affairs 
in this department were so systematically arranged 
that everything went as clock work. He could tell every- 
thing relating to legislation, the progress of each bill ; 
and to all inquiries would give the most satisfactory 
replies, his memory being unusally retentive. During 
the closing days of the session, he was ready for all que- 
ries as to the status of every species of legislation before 
the House, so familiar did he make himself with what- 
ever appertained to the business of the Assembly. 

For a number of years, Matthias' and Ziegler's Man- 
uals were the guide books of legislative pracl ice. In 1867 
Mr. Smull enlarged the ordinary Directoiy and Rules 
of the General Assembly, by the compilation of the 
"Legislative Hand-Book," which has been published 
annually the past ten years as a State document. 
Twelve volumes were edited by Mr. Smull, carefully re- 
vised year by year — that for 1881 being edited by his 
brother, William P. Smull. "SmulFs Hand-Book" 
has always been considered one of the most valuable 
of the State documents, and full sets of them are con- 
sidered "rarities." A vade mecuvi of information 
relative to the official life of the Commonwealth, it is 
the book of reference for all knowledge thereof. The 
work has been imitated in other States, and even by the 
National Government, but none of them can be com- 



14 niOORAnilY. 



pared to "Smuirs Hand-Book"" in usefulness. The 
necessities of legislation required tlie compilation of 
the work, and it is this necessity which perpetuates the 
labors of the lamented editor. It is a truth, that the 
deeds of men live after them. 

The duties of Mr. SmuU's official position did by no 
means prevent him from taking an active interest in 
every public enterprise, and the citizens of his native 
town hold him in grateful remembi-ance for the ener- 
gy he displayed in contributing to the advancement of 
its industrial and business enterprises. He was Lirgely 
instrumental in the erection of the City Passenger Rail- 
way, of which he was director and secretary from the 
date of its organization ; he was secretary of the Harris- 
burg Cemetery Association, and president of the Har- 
risburg Brick and Tile Company. He was largely in- 
terested in several Land and Building Associations, the 
Han-isbnrg Car Works, Farmers' Bank, and a member 
of the Fort Hunter road commission. He sei-ved many 
years as one of the inspectors of the Dauphin county 
prison, and was the efficient secretary of the board; 
wa.s vice president of the Pennsylvania Agricultural 
Society, in the management of which he took an aclive 
part, being a icorJcing member of committees at all an- 
nual exhibitions the past fifteen years. The foregoing 
were only a few of the enterprises and institutions in 
which Mr. Smull was prominent. Others equally as 
important found in him an able advocate and friend. 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 15 

Jfone save his most intimate friends knew of liis pri- 
vate benefactions. Several j'oung men who now hold 
important situations and who have succeeded nobly in 
the life struggle, owe their education and positions to 
John A. Sinull. No one industrious and worthy came 
to him for advice and pecuniary assistance in vain. • He 
realized the fact that a helping liand had been given him 
in his early years, and remembering this, he was ever 
ready to give needed assistance to those actually deserv- 
ing. He had a large heart, and none knew it better than 
his steadfast friend and pastor, the Rev. Dr. Cattell. 

Mr. Smull never married. His uppermost thoughts 
were the comfort and happiness of his widowed mother. 
This duty was paramount to all others. Tlie charm of 
his home was that mother's aged form, and he seemed 
to live only for her. His tender solicitude surrounded 
her with every cheer, throwing over her declining days 
the light of a love which burned long after that mother 
ceased to be. On the lirst of January, 1873, suddeidy, 
without premonition, Mrs. Harriet Pauli Smull died. 
It was a terrible blow, and the sliadow of that gloom 
lingered around that home-hearth for years after. The 
smile of woman which had made that home bright with 
earth' s sunshine had been lifted from it. "I am too old 
to think of marrying now," he replied to a friendh^ hint, 
quoting what Sir Walter Raleigh wrote I'elative to late 
marriages. And so until life' s close he remained a bach- 
elor. 



16 RWGRAPIIY. 



Following the adoption of the new Constitution of 
the State, the success of the Democratic party gave 
them the control of the Legislature in 1875 and 1876. 
Among the majority were many gentlemen who had 
previously served in the House, and knowing the in- 
valuable services of John A. SniuU, they were inclined 
to save him at least from the determined clean sweep 
of officers ; but so manj'^ years had elapsed since the 
party had been in power, while the aspirants for posi- 
tion were so numerous, it was decided to change the 
office of Resident Clerk. Although Mr. Smnll's abili- 
ties were honestly appreciated by all, he gave place to 
another — to the regret afterwards of the vast majoiity 
of the House. During that period, however, he was 
frequently consulted in cases where his excellent judg- 
ment and ac\ite comprehension of intricate questions 
of parliamentary law became the unerring guide. 
AVith the return of Republican power, there was no dis- 
puting as to the individual who should again fill the 
position of Resident Clerk, and he was accordingly 
unanimously elected. As of yore, not only the duties of 
the office were magnified, but the progress of legislation 
accelerated. 

The Legislature of 1879 was in many respects a re- 
markable one, and the duties of Resident Clerk SmuU, 
whose knowledge of parliamentary law made him in 
fact the reliable officer for the proper governing of the 
House, which at times during the exciting scenes inci- 



JOHN AVOVSTUS SMULL. 17 

dent to the debates on the border raid and railroad riot 
claims, threatened to transform that body into a chaotic 
mass beyond the control of the presiding officer. An 
editorial of the Pittsburgh Leader, in its issue of June 
11, 1879, presented the following noble appreciation of 
"the gentleman from below :" 

"One of the most noticeable, and yet the least noticed 
of persons in the House of Representatives, is a gentle- 
man whose services, while quietly exerted, aitd with 
no pretense at demonstration, are yet invaluable; — in 
fact indispensable. He occupies a position on the nar- 
row platform in front of the Speaker's desk. Tliree 
fourths of his time he is seated in a chair at his table 
on the extreme right of the platform, where and dur- 
ing Avhich time he is as busy with his pen and paper 
as the busiest among the newspaper reporters seated 
in a row on a level still lower than this below him. 
The other fourth of his time he would be similarly em- 
ployed, except that he has many duties besides which 
requii'e his attention. Sometimes the Speaker of the 
House, in the rapid changes of phases which bills and 
resolutions assume, gets tangled in the maze, as the 
best of Speakers sometimes will, and would be present- 
ly irretrievably lost. Instantly his pen is dropped on 
the table or thrust in over his ear, and the gentleman 
from below may be seen standing at the side of the 
Speaker s desk, close under the Speaker's eye and ear, 
and issues the orders which are at once to bring order 



18 BIOORAPHY. 



out of cniifusidii. llis (Ureclions, upon wliich lie iirvcr 
hesitates for an instant, are given in a low voice, just 
loud enough to be heard by the officer addressed, who 
calls out loud as he is prompted in exact echo, and 
the ruuiult tli:ir threatens and seems on the verge of 
overwhelming the Assembly is arrested at once. 
There is no sort of ostentation in the thing. One 
would suppose that the gentleman from below had got 
up merely to ask the Speaker to give him a chew of 
tobacco, or to lend him his penknife, or to go out and 
take a diink, or some other trifle of the sort. His brief 
service done, he is down in his seat again, hard at work 
with his pen and paper as ever. 

"Occasionally the Speaker leaves temporarily his 
place, and some other member is invited to take the chair. 
Tliat t)tlier member, very likely, knows nothing about 
parliamentary rules, and the House aware of the fact 
and disposed to vary the graver proceedings with a 
little fun, as school boys will sometimes do when the 
master is out and the tutor is left in charge, begin to 
use their utmost efforts to disconcert him. All sorts 
of points of order are i-aised and rushed with such hot 
haste at the other member, accompanied all the time with 
bursts of uproarious laughter, that what little notions 
he has about rules, are completely scattered, and he is 
left utterly without comi^ass, or chart, or so much as 
the glimmer of a star to guide him through the storm. 
But the gentleman from below rises instantly to his 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 19 

rescue. From behind liis hand he issues his orders in 
short, quick-following messages, ready for any and all 
emergencies, and if the novice in tlie chair fails to fol- 
low up as dictated to, and so control and direct affairs, 
it is because the noise and confusion have thrown him 
into a state of demoralization from which, for him, 
there is no recovery. 

"What the House would do without the gentleman 
from below, it is liard to imagine. Quietly conscious, 
perhaps, of this fact himself, he has done the next best 
thing he possibly could do, and published in a neat, 
concise and accurate form, a book of '' Rules and De- 
cisions of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania," 
which is destined to hold its place in the House long 
after he himself shall have gone, leaving the jilaces 
that now know him to know him no more." 

No higher tribute could be paid to any man — especi- 
ally one in official position. 

The session had closed, and with it, at parting, the 
members to show their high appreciation of the services 
of Mr. SmuU, presented him with a handsome testi- 
monial, through the chairman selected for the purpose, 
his old and valued friend, Dr. Charles R. Early, the 
Democratic member from Elk county. On previous 
occasions, presents had been made him, it is true, but at 
this juncture, Mr. Smull was deeply moved. As usual, 
he had endeavored to perform every duty devolving upon 
him with promptness and iidelity, and somehow, we are 



20 BIOGRAPHY. 



.of ()i)iiii()ii, lie Ix'lieved it would be the close of his 
official lif.'. -I can say fearlessly," he remarked in 
conversation the day after the final adjournment, " that 
I have preserved my integrity, and been faithful to the 
trusts reposed in me. The temptations to swerve from 
the performance of duty, have not moved me, and I 
have come out of the ordeal untainted and nnsoiled. 
You may freely say this of me when 1 am gone." 

That he had some premonition of passing away, two 
or three incidents transpired, to which we need not al- 
lude, although in our presence, and at the time we im- 
I)Uted the same to the physical and nervous exhaus- 
tion, the result of the arduous duties incumbent on his 
position, wjiicli produced glooomy forebodings. 

On Wcduesday, the 9th of July, 1879, he left home 
for Asbury Park, in rlu> hope to recuperate his lost en- 
ergies, with the intention of stopping over at Philadel- 
phia until Thursday noon. The day and night were 
exceedingly warm, and whatever may have been the 
canse, the next morning he was found dead in his bed. 
The announcement of the death of John A. SmuU was 
received with sorrow at Harrisbuig and elsewhere, for 
as Col. McClure litly said in his editorial, from which we 
shall quote, '*many a good and piduiiucnt citizen of 
Pennsylvania cnuld have been better spared than 
Jolin A. SmuU, and his sudden death will carry grief 
to every }»art of the State." So widely known was he, 



JOHN A UG USTUS SMVfLL. 21 



that not a newspaper in the Commonwealth but had- 
some tender expression of regret over his death. 

Col. A. K. McClure, who for many years was on in- 
timate terms with Mr. Small, in tlie editorial columns of 
77^6' Times, of July 11, speaks thus of him : 

" Occupying a position modest in title, and attending 
to its duties in an unostentatious manner, lie was never- 
theless as well known and as much honored and respect- 
ed as any man of his day, however conspicuous in 
pul)lic affairs. For thirty-two years of a life that 
scarcely touched middle age, he had served the State 
with a zeal, intelligence, and fidelity that cannot be sur- 
passed. For much of this time he was Resident Clerk 
of the House of Representatives. He made that office 
one of dignity and importance, not by magnifying his 
powers, l)ut by such a thorough masteiy of legislative 
methods and of the general interests of the State, that 
he became, as it seemed, an indispensable part of the 
General Assembly. He was 'the entire brains of some 
presiding officers, the balance-wheel of others, and the 
ablest men who occupied the chair during all this time, 
were the most frank in acknowledgement of the assist- 
ance received by them at his hands. He could un- 
ravel parliamentary entanglement with unerring skill 
and accuracy ; he was always in full possession of his 
faculties, even when everybody else in the House from 
the Speaker down was carried away by the excitement 
of angry words or overwhelmed by a mighty crisis in 



22 BIOGRAPHY. 



ilehate. ''Simiirs Ijegislarive Iland-Buok,"" wliicli is the 
vade mecum of Pennsylvania politicians, inseparable 
from any well-equipped editorial room, and a part of 
the library of every well-informed citizen, is a lasting 
monument of his patient industry, and has sei-ved as a 
model for similar legislative manuals all over the coun- 
try. So much for Mr. Smull officially. In private life 
he was equally estimable ; no man had warmer per- 
sonal friends." 

The editors of the Ledger, Press, and Bulletin of 
Philadelphia, took, occasion to utter similar sentiments, 
while the Inquirer held the following : 

"Pennsylvania loses her foremost parliamentarian by 
the death of Colonel John Augustus Smull, the well 
known Resident Clerk of the Legislature. He was 
the umpire who decided all knotty questions, and di- 
rected the Speakers for years how to act and to govern 
the Assembly. His place will never be filled in this 
particular. Besides his great usefulness as a public 
officer he was a man of much erudition, a friend of 
sweet gentleness, a citizen of undoubted integrity and 
public spirit, a partisan without bitterness, and a per- 
son who won the respect and love of all who made his 
acquaintance. His monument most lasting will be his 
"Hand-Book of the Legislature,*' at once the most re- 
liable text-book on parliamentary law extant, co-equal 
in all essentials with "Jefferson's Manual." 

One of its public-spirited citizens, enterprising and 



JOHN AUG USTUS SMULL. 23 

energetic, the citizens of Harrisburg felt keenly liis 
loss. To many he had been a lirra and steadfast friend, 
and his benefactions in later years had been without 
stint. As soon as the news had reached the Capital, a 
committee consisting of the Mayor of the city, Robert 
L. Muench, and J. Brisbin Boyd, Esquires, proceeded to 
Philadelphia to bring home the remains, under whose 
cliarge they reached Harrisburg the same evening. 
During the day, as the news was wired through the State, 
from all sections messages came pouring in, conveying 
to his brother, William P. SmuU, the heartfelt sym- 
pathy of many prominent gentlemen, who numbered 
John A. Smnll as their warm personal friend. 

In the performance of the funeral ceremonies, there 
were two requests that were made by the deceased 
years before, faithfully carried out. First, that his 
endeared fi-iend and pastor for many years, the Rev. W. 
C. CatteU, should deliver the funeral discourse, and the 
Knights Templar service should be read at his grave. 
For many years Mr. SmuU had been a member of the 
Masonic brotherhood, and was much devoted to its 
principles. He was one of the original members of 
Robert Burns Lodge, No. 464, and a past commander of 
Pilgrim Commandery No. 11, K. T. In all branches of 
the ancient and honorable fraternity, he had the es- 
teem and confidence of each membei\ 

On Saturday evening July 13, 1879, the funei-al ser- 
vices were conducted in the Pine Street Presbyterian 



24 BTOORAPHY. 



cliinvli, which was ciowded to its utmost capacity. 
Speaker Long of the House of Representatives, a large 
iniiiilieroC the merabersof the Legislature, the Governor 
of the Commonwealth, and heads of the several depart- 
ments, witli prominent citizens of the city of Harrisburg 
and other portions of the State, had assembled to do 
honor to the memory of a faithful public officer. 

The ceremonies were commenced by singing the 
1206th hymn— 

" I would not live alwaj-."' 

The Rev. William C. Cattell, D. D., LL.D., Presi- 
dent of Lafayette College, after reading the selections 
from the Psalms and a part of the fifteenth chapter of 
first Corinthians, delivered the discourse : 

ADDRESS OF REV. DR. CATTELL. 

The Doctor commenced his address by reminding his 
hearers that death is the one great fact with which all 
men have to deal. Whatever may or may not be ap- 
pointed for us, we know that " it is appointed unto all 
men once to die." Familiar as this truth is to men, 
the great multitudes, not only in youth, but in man- 
hood and even in old age, are thoughtful and anxious 
about the uncertain things and are careless about the 
momentous issues involved in that which is really the 
only certain thing to happen. But death is not only cer- 
tain ; it may be sudden. And this, he said, was the sol- 
emn lesson of the hour. The cheerful "good night," 
spoken by our friend as he retired to rest last Wednesday 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 25 



night, gave no premonition that before the "good morn- 
ing'' could be said his lips would be forever sealed in 
death. It is as though the warning which had sounded 
through the ages had come to us with solemn emphasis, 
Be ye also ready. 

The Doctor then briefly sketched the life of Mr. Smull. 
Left at an early age a poor boy, without the patron- 
age of rich or influential friends, he had won his way 
by the well directed use of his natural abilities, which 
were of a high order. He spoke of his honesty, his in- 
dustry, his fidelity to every trust committed to him, 
his uniform courtesy, his integrity of purpose. Such 
were the traits of character that gave him a position 
of commanding influence, not only in this neighborhood 
but throughout the State. This church, crowded by 
his friends, and the streets of the metropolis thronged 
to-day by the multitudes who have come from far 
and near to sliow their respect to his memory, give 
the amplest evidence of the esteem and affection in 
wliich he was held 

"During mypastorate in Harrisburg," continued the 
Doctor, "Mr. Smull was my parishioner, and our rela- 
tions were most intimate. Of these I cannot trust myself 
to speak. I can only say that in his death I have lost 
one of my best friends, and that his memory will al- 
ways be very precious to me. Others can perhaps bet- 
ter speak of him as an efficient public officer and as a 
leading citizen of this community, honorably identified 



28 BIOORAPHY. 



Avitli iii.iiiy liiisiju'ss enterprises, hiil 1 can l)ear testi- 
mony to that part of his character, which, at an hour 
like this, infinitely transcends in importance all else. 
I allude of course to his religious life. He was not a 
member of this church, having never withdrawn his cer- 
tificate of membership from the church into which he 
had been received in his youth, but he thoroughly iden- 
tified himself with all its interests. He was among its 
most liberal supporters. He was punctual and regular 
in his attendance upon public worship, and it is proper 
for me also to add, he was regular and faithful in the 
exercise of private devotion. No pressure of business 
prevented his daily reading of the scriptures and prayer. 
Even when tiaveling, as friends who occupied the same 
room with him, have repeatedly assured me, he would 
at night, invariably kneel by his bedside in jn-ayer. 
There was one trait of his character to which I cannot 
refer without emotion ; his love and devotion to his 
aged motlier. Never have I seen anything in the char- 
acter of a man more beautiful than this. Down to the 
very last hour of her life, he lavished upon her the 
most loving and dutiful attention. There was some- 
thing chivalHc in this devotion ; and tome, avIio saw 
more of it than most persons, it made the private life 
of our friend aglow with a radiance that seemed scarce- 
ly of this world. Not many mothers have been 
blessed with such a son." 
In conclusion, the Doctor again reverted to the lessons 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 27 

which all should learn from this afflictive Providence. 
Death may come to us as suddenly as it came to him. 
Let ns therefore set our house in order. After all, it is 
not the life which is crowned with riches or with hon- 
ors that concerns us to-day. It is the life spent in the 
fear of God, and in love and helpfulness to our fellow 
men. To receive God's word in our heart, to accept 
the terms of salvation it offers through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, to be pure in heart, to serve our fellow men — 
the joys of such a life are not shattered, like all world- 
ly possessions, by death ; rather then does the real life 
begin with its boundless and ineffable joy — for blessed 
are the dead who die in the Lord. 

At the conclusion of Dr. Cattell's address, the choir 
sang, 

" Oh, God! our help in ages past," 
when the benediction was pronounced. 

The pall-bearers, members of Pilgrim commandery, 
and intimate friends of the deceased, took up tiie body 
and bore it to the place of burial. The Grand Com- 
mander of Knights Templar, Col. John P. S. Gobin, 
of Lebanon, and Rev. Addison V. C. Schenck, D. D., of 
Philadelphia, Grand Prelate, read the impressive ser- 
vice of the order. "Amid the gathering twilight of a 
midsummer's day," wrote the Grand Commander in his 
report, "we laid him quietly away, clothed in the full 
insignia of a Christian warrior, the last rays of the set- 
ting sun glinting the crossed swords above his grave, 



28 BIOORAPHY. 



the rustling <)f the \viiiil> amiil \\\>- lull <i;iks, iiiiiigliiig 
with tlie voices of the Knights in bidding him an earth- 
ly farewell — in sobbing a fitting requiem." 
And thus they buried him. 

In closing this memorial of the life of John A. 
Smull, it may not be out of place to give the follow- 
ing estimate of his character, as furnished by an emi- 
nent journalist, and warm friend of the deceased: 

"As page, transcriliing, reading, or Resident Clerk, 
John A. Smull discharged duties which no other man 
in like position connected with a legislative body ever 
perfomied. Tlie mere manual labor of these positions 
was taxing to physical endurance, and demanded ai'du- 
ous attention, all of which he bestowed upon tliem. 
He was remarkable for his unwearied devotion to busi- 
ness. Exact and faithful, he undertook no work of 
whatever character that he did not do successfully. 
He always labored systematically ; his sense of order 
was very strong. This is essential in conducting par- 
litunentary business, and this quality aside from his 
clerical accompli.shments, gave Mr. Smull his force in 
the House, which once having been established he 
never lost. It should be remembered, in connection 
with Mr. Smull's career as an officer, that he beg;in it in 
the very humblest position, and rose by degrees to fill 
the most important place in the House, a place in the 
sight of the law, divested of authoiity and subordinate 



JOHN AUGUSTUS ISMULL. 29 

in character, but whicli he made by slow and patient 
labor of commanding influence, whenever his brains 
actually controlled the machinery of the body, decided 
its questions of privilege, expounded its principles of 
law, and preserved its harmonies in connection with 
the complex rules by which it is governed. 

"From 1864, up to the last Legislature in which Mr. 
Smull served, only one or two of the men who filled 
the Speaker's chair were qualified for its duties. This 
is not an implication that these men lacked intelligence, 
education, or appreciation of the duty devolved upon 
them. .The Speakership involves a knowledge of par- 
liamentary law as intricate as a science as the laws 
governing the Commonwealth, and which only those 
learned therein can expound. In order to fit himself 
for this duty, Mr. Smull studied i)arliamentary law. 
He was not merely a scribe making record of the rout- 
ine proceedings of the House, but he rose by degrees 
until he did the tMiiJclng for the body in its jiopular 
movements, directing the Speaker who is the official 
head, and through liini, all the deliberations thereof, 
in accordance with the law by which it is governed. 
This made the man a power which increased as his abil- 
ities developed, until he stood confessedly the ablest 
parliamentarian in the State — a power which he never 
abused or used unworthily. 

"Smull's Legislative Hand-Book," is a compendium 
of John A. Smull's own original decisions of questions 



BIOGRAPHY. 



iiiv(il\ iiiji' priiK'iples of p:ir]i;iineiit;ny law. Ciishing's 
Princii>les are no clearer, as decisions characterized 
by equity ; and when it is considered that tlieman who 
gave tliese decisions to the law-making branch of the 
Government of Pennsylvania, grew up in tin- ofilcp in 
which he acted, without the aid of college or academy 
to fit him for his high duties, it illustrates what native 
genius can accomplish when it is moved forward by 
virtuous objects to be served, and honest purposes to 
be attained. 

"The boy and man's whole career was full of purpose. 
He seemed forever reaching after the useful ; and in 
•whatever mood he was found, he never trifled. With- 
out being austere, he was always serious. His master 
element was earnestness. He had no idle moments 
and his indeed w;is a busy lifp, full ot effects which re- 
produced themselves in innny fonns of practical bene- 
fits. 

"There were members of the Honse, and that, too, 
in considerable numbers, who never could have accom- 
plished the work demanded of them by their constitu- 
ents but for the Resident Clerk, who saw that it received 
its full share of attention, that the bills embodying it 
went in correct foi-m to the proper committee, and when 
reported back to tlie House, with a favorable recom- 
niendation, that they were put on their passage. The 
importance of this service at the time was incalculable. 
It gave character to the men as legislators, who, other- 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 31 

wise would have returned to their constituents failures, 
and it secured for localities in all parts of the State 
privileges which have enabled the people to develop 
their natural resources, and found enterprises which 
are to-day their greatest springs of wealth. Not many 
of the communities thus served, if any, ever knew the 
source whence the service came. It was not in the 
nature of things that they should know this, but it is 
nevertheless a fact that by the local legislation thus pro- 
cured, Mr. SmuU was, to a degree, its father, and, there- 
fore, to a like extent, the founder of many institutions 
which were scattered over the Commonwealth by acts 
of incorporation, and which are to-day in a prosperous 
condition — a profit to capital and a benefit to labor. 
There was a spirit of statesmanship in this which gave 
to Mr. Smull a reputation among legislators which will 
long live in legislative annals. And he performed these 
duties unselfishly. Tliey were to him public demands 
made in his ofiicial time, but they were not incumbent 
on him. He did what was thus done voluntarily, and 
he left the impress of his genius on the legislation of 
the State, for sixteen years, in a manner which pre- 
vented great floods of wrong from staining it, and pre- 
served the good which was embodied in its acts from 
the polluting hand of those who sought to prostitute 
its powers to base purposes. 

"Let this estimate of John A. Smull not be regarded 
as an exaggeration of personal regard for the dead. 



32 



DIOORAPIIY. 



lis tiii-;iNm<'iri<'iil nf liis (|ii;ilitii-s is :is corii-ct ;is Iniiiiaii 
jiidgtiietit can <l<-;il widi Imiiian diariwtf'r, and it can, 
tlierefore, be taki^n as the summing up of tlni traits of 
a iniin wlm |ilay<(l iiis part well in tin- (iK-alnr of action 
to which lie was called to do dutv." ' 




JOHN A UOUfiTUS HMIJhl,. 



V II C E E D I X a S 



House of Repkeskntativks of Pexnsvlvania. 



Wkdxksimt, .ToMVMry 12, JSSI. 

Mr. Fkxujx. Mr. Speaker, I desire to offer the fol- 
lowing resolution. 

T?ie resolution was rea^l hy the elerk, as follows: 

WtfKKKAS, The House of Representatives has learned 
with profound regret of the decwise of John A. Sniull, 
late Resident Clerk of this House ; therefore, 

Be it renolmd, That a sj>ecial committee, to consi.st of 
five members, V)eapi>ointedby the Speaker to draft resrj- 
lutions expreasive of the sen.se of the House, on the de- 
cease of John A. Smull, late Resident Clerk. 

On motion, the res'.dution was read a Het-orul time. 
The question toeing, 

Will the HotLse agree to the resolution ? 
It was agreed to. 

In compliance with the foregoing res<^^lution. the 
Speaker afjixjinted the following c/^mmittee : Messrs. 
Fenlon, Neill, Thomps^^n. (^Dauphin,; Wolfe, and .Jami- 
son. 



:m i'hoceedings. 



Tuesday, January 25, 1881. 

Mr. Fenlon presented the following report, which was 
read by the clerk : 

The undersigned special committee of the House of 
Representatives, to report on the resolution relative to 
the death of the Hon. John A. Smull, late Resident 
Clerk of this House, respectfully report : 

1. That by the death of John A. Smull, this body 
has lost the invaluable services of one who, whether as 
page boy or Resident Clerk, was ever prompt in the 
discharge of duty, faithful to every trnst reposed in 
him, and in his amiable deportment, "the same at all 
times to all men." 

2. That as an authority on legislative practice, as a 
])arliamentarian, together with his intuitive knowledge 
of tlie enacting of laws, Mr. Snnill had no superior and 
very few equals. 

3. That his usefulness to the Assembly of Pennsyl- 
vania can only be appreciated by those Representatives 
who, for years, looked up to him as their guide through 
the intricacies of difficult legislation. 

4. That, as the life services of Mr. Smull were de- 
voted to the State, it is desirable tliat the high esteem 
of this branch of the legislative body of this Common- 
wealth be fitly shown, and it is therefore recommended 
that a biograijhical memoir of Mr. Smull be prepared. 



JOHN AVGUSTUS ISMULL. 35 



and with these proceedings published as a memorial vol- 
ume. 

John Fenlon, 
James Neill, 
Alex. F. Thompson, 
Charles S. Wolfe, 
John M. Jamison, 

Comviittee. 



Thursday, Jamiary 27, 1881. 
Mr. Ruddiman. Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the 
chairman of the committee, I take leave to call up the 
resolutions of respect on John A. Smull, late Resident 
Clerk of the House. 
Which were read by the clerk. 

The question being. 
On the adoption of the resolutions. 

ADDRESS OP MR. NEBINGER, OF HARRISBURG. 

Mr. Speaker : Representing the city of Harrisburg, in 
which John A. Smull was born, on September 1, 1832, 1 
rise to pay a just tribute to the memory of one of nature's 
noblemen. 

At an early age John A. Smull was apprenticed to 
the printing trade, serving a few years in the business, 
and upon the death of his brother, was appointed page 
in this House. Serving with fidelity in that capacity, 
he was then promoted to the position of bill clerk, from 
that to the position of bill and petition clerk, and from 



3fi PROCEED! SGfi. 



that to the position of Resident Clerk, an office \vliir]i 
he filled with acceptability, wisdom, and efficiency, as 
can be attested by every member who knew him. 

Actively identified with almost every indnstry and 
interest of our city, he was, perhaps, better known than 
almost any man in Hanisburg. A more dutiful son, a 
more affectionate bi-othei-, it has never been my pleas- 
ure to meet. His efficiency as an officer of this House 
is attested by the work he has done, by the record that 
he leaves, by his honesty as a man, and by his useful- 
ness as a citizen. 

On July 10, 1879, the wires flashed the sad intelligence 
over this State that John A. SmuU was dead. To our 
people here, it seemed almost impossible ; it seemed 
that it could not be that so faithful a servant, so able a 
man, so efficient an officer had gone. 

As I said before, he was activelj' identified with al- 
most every interest of our city, and I stand here to-day 
to express the unanimons sentiment of our people, 
when I say that John A. Smull, the Resident Clerk, 
the citizen, and the man, was mourned then, and is 
mourned for to-day. In all the walks of life he was 
the genial, whole-souled and kind-hearted gentleman. 
His benevolence was proverbial, and no deserving young 
man was without a friend while he lived. But now, 
beneath the trees that he loved so well, and in the silent 
city of the dead that he did so much to beautify, he 
now sleeps. The shaft that marks his last earthly rest- 



JOHN A UGUSTUS 8MULL. 37 



ing place, says to every young man in Pennsylvania, 
"Follow me ; I marked out for myself a goal, which I 
reached; follow my example ; follow my precepts ; my 
works are those that no man need be ashamed of." 

Like a wreath of mist, his earthly life has faded away 
in the boundless future, but his memory will ever re- 
main to encourage and guide us through the trying bat- 
tles of life. Death came to him swift and unheralded, 
and I feel like quoting the words of my friend from 
Philadelphia, [Mr. Neill,] when bespoke of the death 
of Asa Packer, that the death of John A. Smull was 
like ''the fall of the mighty oak in the stillness of the 
forest." 

ADDRESS OF MR. NEILL, OF PHILADELPHIA. 

Mr. Speaker, I feel at this moment almost unable to 
control my emotions. Listening to the testimony, the 
bright, beautiful and truthful testimony, which has been 
given by the gentleman from Dauphin [Mr. Nebinger] 
in reference to our departed fiiend, has thrown my 
mind back upon his beautiful form and pleasant coun- 
tenance, as we saw him among us, beloved and respected 
by all. And it is no wonder that we here, to-day, when 
the tread of death has been heard thrice in the high 
places of the Commonwealth — -three times since we last 
met has its dark wing been stretched over the Capitol — 
it is no wonder, I say, that we come here this afternoon 
with bated breath — with sorrowing- hearts — with kind 



88 PROCEEDINGS. 



reineinbrances — with censers full of incense, brou^Mit 
from either side of the House, to emir perfume wliich 
will rise uji as :i sacrifice of our deepest feeling to the 
memory of John A. Smull. His record is a record of 
brightness ; his life was a life of usefulness ; his time 
and talents were devoted to the common good, and his 
monument, on which the sun shines and the snow shall 
fall for years to come, will not be half as abiding as 
that monument time has built in the hearts of the living, 
which wil 1 be perpetuated and be received with the same 
feeling in the liearts of generations to come. His Hand 
Book, his character, his entire life, are worth more than 
the granite monument. This land does not boast of 
titled fools, but it honors the good and the great every- 
where, and when one so fitted by nature for the offices 
in which Providence placed him, has conducted him- 
self in the discharge of the duties of those offices witli 
the same purity as John A. Smull, he writes immor- 
tality in letters of living light over his name, and his 
memory will be embalmed in the deepest affections of 
every living soul. 

Yon, gentlemen, who were here years agone — before 
I ever knew you — you knew him better, because you 
knew him longer ; but I shall not forget when, a little 
more than two years ago, I came liere and found him 
in one of the committee-rooms. I said to him, then, 
"I am a stranger here, and I came to ask you where 
you are going to seat me." I shall never forget the 



JOHN A UOUSTUa l^MULL. 39 



smile that played upon his countenance — the generous 
heart he manifested, the warm thrill of his hand, and 
the readiness with which he conducted me into the hall 
and showed me this seat, saying: "I heard you were 
an old man, and I have given you this place so that you 
may be near the Speaker." All this showed the kind- 
ness of his heart. 

Then, whenever, uninitiated in the parliamentary ar- 
rangements of this House, whenever I needed a word 
of instruction or suggestion, John A. Smull was always 
ready to give them. It seemed to be a pleasure to him 
to accommodate others. He lived for others, and in 
the years of his life among you, from a page boy up to 
Resident Clerk, in all the investigations, in all the 
charges, in all the suspicions, in everything that was 
calculated in the least degree to taint any one, or any 
portion of this body, John A. Smull stood as pure as 
the i^urest. I never heard even the breath of suspicion 
raised against that man. But he has passed away ; we 
shall see him no more ; 

"His silvery tongue is mute ; 

His generous eye is dim, 
And all our loud salute, 

Is lets than nought to him." 

But it awakens thought in our own hearts. These 
services cannot affect the condition of the departed, 
but they may affect oui'S. 

There would be an alleviation to the sadness of these 
services had John A. Smull breathed hisriast at home 



40 PROCEEDItiOS. 



in his own hed, surrounded by his friends to close his 
eyes and compose liis limbs in dealh. But Divine 
Providence permitted him, while away from home and 
alone, through either functional or other derangement 
of the heart, to pass suddenly away. Why, we ask, 
did Providence thus permit the end of such a man? 
Simpl}' because Providence could not help it, without 
a miracle. Such was the defect in the organization of 
the man that a change of position— a little excitement — 
a thousand causes would close the valves, would break 
the bowl and sunder the cords at the cistern. And he 
has tleparted — he has gone. Let us, in every respect, 
follow his example. May the mantle of our ascending 
Elijah fall upon us and keep us until we meet him in 
the better land. 

ADDRESS OF MR. RHOADS, OF CUMBERLAND. 

I can add but one word to the noble and most elo- 
quent tribute of my friend from Phihideli>hia, [Mr. 
Neill.] There was not a word or a sentence that he 
uttered that did not touch my heart. The deceased, 
as a man, stood among men like the tall oak in the for- 
est — courteous, kindly, generous to a fault, and above 
all, his natural and acquired qualifications which so em- 
inently fitted him for the high and honorable position 
which he so long and so well filled. One peculiarity 
in the deceased I noticed when my friend spoke. 
He was so particularly kind to new members of the 
House, careful in guiding and instructing them, so that 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 41 

they would make no blunders in their legislative career ; 
watching cautiously so that any legislation that any 
member of the House might have in cliai'ge would be 
carefully done. I say that this was one of the grand- 
est traits in his character. I know that I experienced 
myself many a kindness at his hands, that will lie and 
linger with me while I remain on this earth. And to 
those new members of this House who did not have 
the pleasure of the acquaintance of John A. Smull, let 
me say to yon, gentlemen, that the House of Repre- 
sentatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in 
the death of John A. Smull, received a blow from which 
it will take years to recover. All I can say is, Mr. 
Speaker, that his natural qualilications, his kindly 
heart, his generous impulses, all combined, were of 
such a nature that all the world might stand up and 
say : " This was a man." 

ADDRESS OF MR. KLEIN, OF LEBANON. 

Mr. Speaker : As a school-mate and a companion of 
John A. Smull, in his childhood and youth, and as a per- 
sonal friend in his manhood, it is fitting that I should 
add a word in tribute to his memory. 

No word of mine will or can add to his bright record, 
nor is a monument of granite required on which to re- 
count his accomplishments, virtues, and his graces, for 
they are enshrined in the hearts of hundreds of warm 
and true friends, who will cherish his memory to the 
end of their lives, and ever remember the noble boy 



42 PROCEEDINGS. 



iiiid n()l)lH man tluif i)as.sed away trtnii earth wIk-ii tlie 
body ot John A. Smull was deposited in the tomb. 

"As the gate of memory swings back upon its golden 
liinge," I see a bright-eyed school boy, whose manly 
bearing commanded the admiration of the tutor, and 
the respect of his fellow students in the public school 
more than five and thirty years ago : I see a model 
youth of this then county borough, pointed out by the 
mothers of the town as an example of an affectionate, 
dutiful, and obedient son ; I see him, in a few years, 
an active, ambitious young man iixion the floor of this 
hall, anticipating his every duty, and making his ab- 
sence marked ; I see him under the parental roof — the 
protector of a loving sister and tlie stay of an idolized 
and idolizing mother ; I see his rapid progress to the 
platform of this hall, and I hear bis voice in the read- 
ing of the enactments of many legislative assemblies ; 
I see him in soitow following his darling and only sis- 
ter, just blooming into womanhood, to the tomb ; I see 
him in deeper grief, bear the remains of his aged mother 
to the adjoining grave, and I see him return to his 
hearthstone, almost alone, and yet not alone, for his 
cherished memories and the sympathies of hundreds 
of true friends, clustered around and about hiui, and 
would not leave him comfortless. 

We see him still, Mr. Speaker, progressing in posi- 
tion, progressing in the affections of all with whom he 
came in contact ; in the social circle, a perfect gentle- 



JOHN AUGUSTUS SMULL. 48 

man ; in pnblic enterprise, active and prudent ; in po- 
sitions of honor and trust, ever honorable, polite, and 
courteous. 

His presence ever brought pleasure wherever he moved, 
and the inhabitants of this Capital city will ever remem- 
ber liis genial bearing and cordial greeting as he passed 
to and fro in their midst. He was worthy of life, and 
it is painful to recall the thrill of regret that Hashed 
through the Commonwealth upon that morning when 
the electric spark brought the tidings of his decease in 
the metropolis of the State. No human eye witnessed 
his death, no human ear heard his last moan or message, 
no human hand ministered unto him in his dying mo- 
ments—nor did he require it, for the "silver cord" was 
suddenly loosed, and the "golden bowl" instantly 
broken, giving liberty to the spirit, the precious casket 
thereof only remaining in apparent slumber ; placid 
countenance and unmoved limbs betokened a calm pas- 
sage over and through the dark waters to join the family 
circle in the spirit world. 

And now, in succeeding days, we see a gathering of the 
concourse of his friends, his many Mends. We remem- 
ber the last look at his lifeless remains, with the armor of 
his knighthood around and about him. Surrounded by 
the sweet tokens of many loved ones from far and near, 
we remember the long and sad cortege to yonder emi- 
nence beyond the oaks ; we remember the sad ritual of 
his brother Knights as they consign the body to the 



« PROCEEDTNOS. 



iiiotlicr ciiitli, ami we sf-e flie hipIIuw mould, ami hear 
its dull Mind as it falls upon the covering of the vault, 
and then we turn away, and the thought, with a sigh, 
breaksforth, "Can these things be f The gentle winds 
of that balmy day answer, "yes;" the waving branches 
of the shrubbery answer, "yes, yes." "All that live 
must die." The adjoining tombs and all the surround- 
ings seemed to answer, "yes;" and his absence here 
to-day verifies the answer too truly. 

Mr. Si)eaker, his associates, in the many assemblies 
in this hall, who knew him so well, need not be informed 
of his character and worth. It is too widely known to 
require any word of mine. 

Upon his grave, almost within hail from the dome of 
this capitol, the sparkling snow this day glistens as with 
diamonds in the bright sunshine ; a fitting pall for his 
tomb, and a fitting emblem of his character and graces. 
On this memorial day, may we not, as his associates 
and friends, ascribe to his memory the sentiment of the 
immortal bard that wrote of the worthy dead : 

"According to hU virtues let us use him, and mourn you for him ; 
Let him be regarded as one of the noblest men that ever herald did 
follow to his urn." 

ADDRESS OF MR. RUDDIMAN, OP PHILADELPHIA. 

Mr. Speaker, I am usually reluctant to trust myself in 
public to subjects of so solemn nature as this, and I am es- 
pecially reluctant at this hour to tax the attention of the 
House upon these mournful resolutions. It is upon 



JOHN A UG USTUS 8MULL. 45 

no self-invitation that I assume to speak in these an- 
nouncements of tribnte and honor to tlie distinguished 
dead; Init I have been assured tliat some words of 
eulogium from my lips as to one whom I knew well 
and honored highly, would be words of welcome im- 
port to those whose interests and intimacies and aflfec- 
tions were of the holiest toward the departed, and 
might not perhaps be without some thought and sug- 
gestion to others besides. 

Sixteen years ago, Mr. Speaker, I visited this place, 
a stranger, to take part in the machinery and deliber- 
ations of legislation for the first time. I knew nothing 
of its duties or its demands ; I was a novice in its art 
and its philosophy, but the first pleasant, bright face 
that appeared before my eyes ; the first charming ac- 
cents that greeted me in this hall, were those of the de- 
parted clerk, John A. SmuU. 

And dxiring two sessions in this House, I observed 
him with admiration, with regard, with the interest 
which is that of love and of the deepest trust. 
Through all those two years I knew him to be the same. 
His frankness of address, his sweetness of temper, his 
unvarying, uniform courtesies to all, the high order of 
his intelligence, and his wide attainments in every de- 
partment of legislative knowledge, and discipline and 
duty, won the confidence and honor and trust of all 
who knew him. 

I have learned, sir, that although my relations with 



46 PBOCEEDTNGS. 



liiiii were Imt occasional and casual — since 1 have as- 
certained that from that time to this, snch has been the 
unvarying career, the uniform conduct, the admirable 
demeanor and bestowal of favor and kindness on the 
liart of this accomplished officer. 

Never failing in public service, never wanting in per- 
sonal attention, he was conspicuously the officer in 
high performance, and the friend in most gracious con- 
descension and goodness. 

As public servant, as eminent citizen, in private sta- 
tion, as the generous friend, as the considei-ate philan- 
tliropist, as the devoted son and brother, his was an ex- 
aniijle preeminent and worthy of all emulation. 

Under till changes of administration, in every hard 
and eager contest for place, his name remained as pure 
as the falling snow and without the shadow of stain or 
tlie breath of calumny and censure. 

In few words, these were the attractive qualities of 
this good and distinguished man, and- I rise in my 
jilace — perhaps with presumption — Mr. Speaker, when 
others who knew him better, when others close to his 
heart could speak of that heart's high character and 
worth, might perhaps take my place : but I speak, sir, 
with a sense of tears, my regret is that which is per- 
sonal and full of giief, for he was a man to be respect- 
ed and exalted, and in the sanctuary of the soul to be 
loved and cherished, and so in the depth of my strong 
affections, I loved and cherished the worth of John A. 



JOHN A UG USTUiS SMUL L. 47 

Smiill, and now with humble tribute, as I have said, I 
pronounce this brief, but most sincere and profound 
expression of sorrow, and thus add my mite of praise 
and lionor and deep sensibility to that which, in the 
eloquent sentences already uttered here, crowns the 
memory of a good man, and will linger as an atmos- 
phere of richness and splendor above his grave. 



ADDRESS OF MR. MYERS, OF VENANGO. 

Mr. Speaker: I had not intended to say anything 
upon this occasion, but while sitting here and listening 
to some things that have been said, my mind reverted 
to years gone by, when I was but a very young man — 
to the time when I tirst met John A. Smull. I was in- 
troduced to him by a member from my county ; a 
mere stripling, I w^as stricken with his appearance, 
with his manly conduct, and the cordial greetings he 
gave to everybody. That was during the exciting 
times of the war, when people were flocking to Harris- 
burg and Washington, some prompted by their interest 
in the critical affairs of our country — some to look after 
friends, and othei's in the interest or in opposition to 
the important legislation then pending. 

John A. Smull struck me as a peculiar — in some re- 
spects as a wonderful man. To every one he met he 
accorded the same kind attention and courtesy. 

It mattered not whether it was an old man whose 
footsteps were tottering to the grave, or whether it was 



48 PROCEED I SGS. 



a youth just startiiii; iu lilV — he had the same kind 
greeting for botli. 

At that time I had no anticipation of forming any- 
tliing but a casual acquaintance with liim, but years 
rolled on, and at length it became my fortune to come 
here as a member of the House. After the lapse of 
years I found him the same cheerful man, his heart 
seemed as young as when I had seen him, a mere boy, 
years before. 

In all that pertains to a healthy and vigorous man- 
hood, physically and intellectually, beseemed perfectly 
preserved, and when I bade him good bye at the close 
of last session, I little thought that John A. Smull was 
the one man of all my late associates here, whom I 
should first be called upon to mourn. I have reflected 
upon his character somewhat since learning of his 
death — it has been brought before my mind vividly 
while sitting here listening to the words of eulogy upon 
it, and it seems to me to be a character eminently fitted 
to be held up to the youth of this State, as worthy of 
emulation — worthy of emulation by reason of its being 
a striking illustration of that untiring industry and 
that will-power which carry a man forward to honor 
and usefulness. Many a youth, if he would but profit 
by his example — if he would but cultivate the habits 
of industry and integrity, and the graces of manner 
which characterized Jcdin A. Smull, might grow up to 



■TOHy AUGVSTVS SMT'LL. 49 



occupy places of trust and profit — an honor to himself, 
his friends and the Coninionwealth. 

There were some traits in the chnracter of Jolm A. 
Smull — traits wliicli gave him an eminent fitness for tlie 
])]ace he occupied — which but few persons are blessed 
with, but there was a sterling integrity in the man, an 
indomitable will-power and energy to push himself for- 
ward and make for himself an honorable place, which 
are open to every l)oy in the land, and these are the 
qualities we ought to emulate and encourage. 

I mourn his loss. I mourn him as a friend, although 
my acquainfanoe with him was but brief, for his was a 
character so genial and sympathetic that it drew one 
and all toward him as one is drawn toward an intimate 
friend. I felt that lie was my friend, that he would do 
me any kindness that lay in his power, and that he 
would appreciate any kindness I might have to offer in 
return. 

Mr. Speaker, it nuiy be many days before this Com- 
monwealth shall be called t;pon to mourn the loss of a 
man under like circumstances — a man who has endeared 
himself to the hearts of so many men, extended over 
so wide a portion of tliis State. Many years — perhaps 
not in the life time of any man liere, will there another 
man l)e called from the stage of action in the Common- 
wealth of Pennsylvania, who shall have endeared him- 
self so peculiarly and so closely to the hearts of so 
manv living men. 



50 PROCEEDINQS. 



'I'llf (illestioll heillf^' 
On the iuloption of tlie resolutions, 

If \\:is iiiijininionsly iijrreed to. 
Mr. Landts. Mr. Spe:i,kpi-. :isii InrtlH'r nuiik of re- 
spect to the deceased members iiiid ihe hile .loliii A. 
Siiiiill. r move tliiit this Honse do now :idjoiirii, 
'I'lie question hein<;. 
Will the House ao:ree to the motion of the ^--entle- 
man from Ljincaster. [^fr. IjAMus '.\ 
It was aaireed to. 
Whereupon the Speaker adjourned tlie House until 
ten o'clock to-morrow niorniiii;'. 




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